A New Day
by Naruto-Neko
Summary: I started writing this for my friend. About a girl named Ume and her quest, given to her by Gaara. What'll happen? I don't even know yet. Title formerly, "The Hunt" but I like this title better. Rated T for a couple bad words.
1. Chapter 1

**A New Day!**

**A Naruto-Neko Original**

**DISCLAIMER! I don't own Naruto. If I did, this would be in Japanese, and it would be in the actual show.**

**Chapter 1**

Ume sat alone under the night sky. The stars shone brightly in the Suna sky, twinkling. The moon was full, seeming to touch the tops of the buildings in the nearby village. She sighed, thinking of the events of the past week.

A roaming ninja, she had arrived here, just planning for a rest and a meal, possibly a job. She was rather famous for being kind as well as strong, so she got missions pretty much everywhere she went. It could get tiring, but she had liked it. Well, she thought she did.

This stop was an unusual one- she hadn't been to Suna before. Ume is not fond of sand in her mouth, so she avoids deserts. However, she wanted to see it, because it was pretty much the last place she hadn't seen before. It also helps to have a mission to finish up there.

Well, once she arrived, there was uproar. Everyone shouted, "It's Tanaka Ume!" and Ume had to use her stealth jutsu to escape the crowd. She stopped at a restaurant, pulled a robe on to hide herself, and released the jutsu.

She sat herself down. It was a small restaurant, much like Ichiraku in Konoha. She saw ramen and immediately ordered a bowl of miso ramen. She started eating, and she heard a chuckle to her left. She glanced in the direction of the laugh and saw a glimpse of red-brown hair. She knew exactly who it was.

"Hmph, what is it?" Ume said after gulping down her bite of noodles. She didn't look at him.

"You're hiding, aren't you?" The response came after a short pause, awkward as it may be.

"Hn." Ume went back to her eating.

"I sort of need your help," said the man finally.

Ume stopped. "What?"

The man said nothing. He turned away, as if embarrassed. Ume sighed, put down her chopsticks, and looked at the man. He was also in a robe, apparently in disguise himself. She rolled her eyes.

The man turned again. Their eyes met- blue-green, with pretty much no pupil, and deep violet stared right at each other.

Ume whispered, "Gaara-sama, what do you need?" She was serious. She could tell from The Kazekage's expression he was too.

"… I need the soy sauce."

Ume had a brief look of fury, but quickly calmed and put a blank expression. She smiled like a cat, and said sweetly, in a loud voice, "Of course, GAARA!" She threw the soy sauce at him, gulped the rest of her ramen down, and got up. She made the signs for her stealth jutsu again and became invisible once more.

In her wake, Gaara was bombarded by children and fangirls. She giggled to herself quietly on a roof, looking at the chaos she had created.

Gaara hadn't actually wanted the soy sauce. He actually needed a mission done, but Ume can be intimidating, even to Gaara. As he was tackled by fans, he silently wished he could disappear like her.

There was a problem. Naruto was missing, and Gaara was too busy being the Kazekage to go, and the Hidden Leaf weren't having any luck. Gaara knew that Ume knew Naruto, and that she was extremely talented. He needed her to try to find him. She would have motivation enough.

Gaara was still confused why he couldn't tell her. He'd never been intimidated before, even by Deidara. And besides, she didn't seem like she knew her childhood friend had disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Day!**

**A Naruto-Neko original**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Naruto. Honestly, the title isn't original either.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Ume slept on a random roof that night. She didn't feel like people fussing over her in an inn, so she slept outside. In the 2 years she had spent away from home, she had slept outside many a time, so it wasn't a disappointment or anything. She didn't sleep very well, however.

Ume's dreams were filled with flashing images, of Naruto and her other friends in Konoha, all upset about something. She asked in her dream what was going on, but no one said anything. She was scared, and Naruto started fading away. She call out and-

"Ume…"

Her eyes snapped open. Ume jumped up, and looked straight at the disturbance. It was Gaara, of course. It was about half an hour to dawn; the sky was lightening enough to see easily.

"What?" She asked irritably. She didn't like the fact Gaara had woke her up, even from a nightmare.

"You were shouting Naruto's name…"

"So?" Ume was still in defense mode. Gaara put up his hands saying in the gesture that he wasn't going to hurt her or anything. Ume relaxed slightly and stood normally. Her violet eyes were still sharp and alert. For what felt like forever, neither said a word.

"Look, I need to tell you something." The Kazekage finally said.

Ume raised an eyebrow. She wasn't exactly a morning person. Gaara shifted uncomfortably, causing Ume to smirk.

"Naruto went missing… about a month ago."

Ume stared blankly for a moment, and then cursed. Ume wasn't one to curse (it was actually a publicly known fact) so it surprised Gaara for a moment. She then asked Gaara in a choked voice if he had any idea what happened. He shook his head.

"Damn it, Sakura, I told you to watch him!" She said to herself. Her voice was murderous. She jumped towards the direction of Konoha to the next roof, and then turned to Gaara.

"Are you coming," she demanded, "or are you gonna stay here and do nothing about your closest friend being missing?"

Gaara looked at her as if to say, "how did you know that?" She looked pleased and said slyly, "I know a lot of things."

"But… I have to take care of the village." Gaara said after thinking a moment.

"Let Kankuro and Temari take care of it." Ume jumped back, grabbed Gaara by the arm, and took off. There was no way they were going to let Naruto be missing with the Akatsuki running around, looking to kill him.

As the two ran swiftly towards Ume's home town of Konohagakure, Ume couldn't help but mutter to herself. "Baka," she said, to Naruto, Sakura, and Tsunade all at the same time. All Gaara knew was that once Ume got her hands on Naruto and Sakura, they weren't going home without getting a beating, courtesy of Ume.

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><p><strong>AN: Guys, please review. I want to know what you think! A lot! I may lose motivation to write if no one reviews.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A New Day!**

**A Naruto-Neko original**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Naruto. Still.**

**Chapter 3**

News that the famous Ume, who lived there, and Subaku Gaara, the Kazekage, had arrived in Konohagakure spread fast. Ume, knowing there was no time to waste, dragged Gaara through the back alleys and shortcuts in town to the Hokage's mansion. She had to speak to Tsunade, immediately.

Once the two made it to the Hokage, Ume had to use all of her self control. She was better than Naruto, she told herself. Tsunade was surprised to see Ume and Gaara. She waited for Ume to say something.

"What happened to Naruto?" She demanded of the Hokage. Ume's violet eyes were dark with anger and worry. Gaara didn't say anything, but his eyes were filled with anger, too.

Tsunade sighed. She looked tired; like she had been up all night. Ume noticed, but didn't soften. "Naruto was training about a month ago. Hinata was around, but Sakura was with me. Hinata saw 4 dark figures come up to him, and talk to Naruto, but before Hinata could do anything, they all left."

Ume's fist clenched. She had a pretty good idea who it was. "Where is Sasuke?" was all she said.

Tsunade looked down at the sake bottle on her desk. "He disappeared at the same time."

Ume shouted a curse, and then punched the nearest wall. This was why she almost didn't go out of the village to train. She grabbed Gaara by the arm, who was still silent, and started walking out the door. Before she left, she turned her head to the lady Hokage.

"I'm getting them back, Lady Tsunade. I promise you. I'm not saying they'll be in one piece, though."

Tsunade softly chuckled to herself as the two left the room. She knew that Sasuke and Naruto should fear for their lives, and not because of the Akatsuki.

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Gaara was in shock. Who would take Naruto, besides Sasuke on one of his "revenge fits?" He looked at the back of Ume's head. Her long, raven-black hair was whipping out behind her. Her jaw was set in determination, reminding him of Naruto.

Ume stopped suddenly, pausing to take a deep breath. She blushed slightly and told him that she forgot to breathe.

"…So, what's your relationship with Naruto?" Gaara asked. He figured it could be helpful to know more information.

"He was my best friend," Ume replied sadly, looking at her hands. They were clenched on her lap. "We grew up together. We were in similar situations. My parents were gone, because of the nine-tails. I didn't blame him, though," she laughed quietly. She looked at Gaara. Her eyes were full of tears. She wouldn't let them fall, however. She wiped her eyes on her hand. "You two are Jinchuriki, but you aren't the monster that you have inside you. Well, that _you_ _had_ inside you, at least."

Gaara then determined he was going to help her. She really was going to find Naruto, but he thought that she may need help, so she wouldn't kill him, Sasuke, and whoever else may be with them. Ume calmed down, and suggested they start off again. Gaara guessed she knew what happened to them, but he had no idea.

Ume must have read it in his face.

"I think Sasuke is trying to take revenge on someone. And he probably needed Naruto's help. I think I know where they ran off to." Ume explained this while looking ahead, using some sort of jutsu to scan the area ahead. It reminded him a little of Byakugan, but Ume wasn't related to the Hyuuga. Gaara turned his attention to the road ahead of him.

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"Sasuke, why are you so bent on revenge?" asked a blonde impatiently. He seemed to just want to get out of the dank, smelly room and outside to fresh air.

"Hn," replied Sasuke, whose hair was midnight blue and in the shape of a duck-butt. His eyes were dark.

The blonde rolled his eyes. The blonde's eyes were bright ocean blue."I'm serious, Sasuke."

"No one else will kill him," said Sasuke finally, "that's why I need to, Naruto. He helped ruin my life. Now shut up and focus."

Naruto focused on his training, for about five minutes. He stopped and asked, "Who is it exactly we're trying to kill? If you don't tell me, I might as well go home."

Sasuke was silent for a moment. Naruto thought he was being overly-dramatic. "Uchiha Madara."


	4. Chapter 4

**A New Day!**

**A Naruto-Neko original**

**Disclaimer! No, I'm not Masashi Kishimoto, unfortunately. I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter 4**

Gaara and Ume arrived outside a hole in the ground. Ume explained it was an old Orochimaru hideout, and it seemed to be where Sasuke disappeared to when he had an urge for revenge.

"… So, do we just go in?" asked Gaara.

Ume looked at him, as if to say, "DUH!" She motioned for him to come, and jumped in silently, like a cat. Gaara lowered himself down with sand. Ume was already about 20 feet ahead of him, scanning for a trace of the group.

"This way," she whispered. She was in ambush mode, and he could tell. Gaara was ready to break up a fight, if necessary. It looked like it was going to be necessary, too.

They were running towards the sound of metal hitting metal. Gaara heard Naruto's voice, sounding slightly annoyed. Naruto was complaining about Sasuke always wanting revenge, and he was tired of being dragged into it. There was a slam, and angry footsteps started near them. Ume pulled Gaara into a room, and waited for Naruto to come into range.

Naruto slowed down a couple feet in front of the door. Ume somehow went invisible, walked up to him, and screeched. She released the jutsu and smacked Naruto in the face.

"Ume?" asked a stunned Naruto, holding onto his face. Ume then proceeded to punch him in the stomach, kick his leg, and she almost stabbed him with a kunai before Gaara intervened. Sand blocked her path, and she screamed at Naruto. "You freaking idiot! What were you thinking, leaving the village, and not telling anyone, and I spent the whole month not knowing, until this morning!" Ume burst into tears, and Gaara lowered the shield of sand. Naruto looked angry.

"Just because I have a deadly organization that wants to rule the world after me doesn't mean I have to stay in the village all the time!" He yelled back. Ume looked at him like he was nuts.

"Do you know how unbelievably stupid that sounds?" Ume was not happy with him at all. They stood there for 2 minutes, glaring at each other. No one blinked. Eventually, Ume twitched, and then tackled Naruto.

"You stupid idiot!" she whispered in his ear, crying. Gaara shifted uncomfortably. He mumbled something about going to find Sasuke and walked off.

Naruto hugged Ume and said he was sorry. Ume punched him, not too hard, in the gut. "Just don't do it again, OK? I don't care what Sasuke says."

Naruto looked at Ume, and said, "OK, Ume." They both laughed, for no apparent reason.

A couple minutes afterwards, Gaara returned with a ball of sand behind him, floating. There was muffled shouting coming from the inside. Ume walked up the ball, slowly so the shouting person wouldn't hear.

"HEY SASUKE!" Ume shouted. The shouting stopped.

"… yes?" said a small voice from inside.

"Guess what?" Ume asked, sounding sweet, but you could tell from her voice she was furious.

"… what?"

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE TOLD YOU IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS FOR YOU TO GO AFTER MADARA ALONE?" Ume screamed.

"… a lot." Sasuke sounded like a child being scolded for going outside without permission.

Ume motioned for Gaara to let her in. A small hole, big enough for only Ume to go in, opened and she climbed in. Naruto almost went after her, but Gaara stopped him.

"Let her teach him a lesson. He knows better."

"Fine."

From inside the re-closed sand orb, you could hear Sasuke shouting and flesh pounding on flesh. Screeches of "baka" echoed in the hallway. Naruto and Gaara couldn't help but smile at least a little at hearing the crap being pounded out of Sasuke.

Gaara shouted down the hall that whoever else was with Sasuke better run for their lives, because Ume had no reason not to kill them and she was in a murderous mood. They heard footsteps running out of the base. Naruto cracked up, and collapsed with laughter.

Eventually the sand orb fell apart because Ume had beaten it up so bad, so she quit hitting Sasuke… for now. Ume stepped out, unscratched, and Sasuke kind of stumbled out. He was beaten and swollen all over, and Naruto had to carry him home. Sasuke only managed to say, "Curse you, Ume…" before he passed out. Ume thought it was hilarious and laughed the whole time back to Konohagakure.

Gaara was silent, but he really was happy that Ume knew where they were. He kind of half smiled the trip back. Naruto was busy nursing his wounds, but he was scared because he knew that as soon as they were home, he'd have to explain himself to Sakura and Ume, and that was even scarier, even though Sakura wasn't going to escape Ume's wrath either.


	5. Chapter 5

**A New Day!**

**A Naruto-Neko original**

**Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of this. You should know that if it's on fan fic, it's not by the actual creator.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

The atmosphere in Konoha was intense. Sakura looked up at the sky, and squinted. No, it wasn't an actual coming storm. She'd felt this feeling before. When Ume was mad, the atmosphere always felt heavy and oppressive. Sakura laughed at the memory. Ume wasn't around; she was training somewhere, not in Konohagakure.

However, there was a disturbance near the front gate. Sakura heard a shout of "Naruto!" Sakura wasted no time in running to the gate. However, as she drew near, the atmosphere grew thicker. Sakura spotted Naruto, holding a knocked out Sasuke in his arms. She started toward them, but she noticed violet eyes and raven black hair next to Naruto and Sasuke- that could mean only one thing; Ume was back, and she was _not_ happy.

The crowd was loud and happy, but when Ume saw Sakura, there was a sudden, deep, frightening silence. Ume twitched, and the crowd parted in front of her out of fear.

"SAKURAAAAAA!" She screamed. She sprinted to Sakura, and held her up by the collar. "What the hell were you thinking, letting them run off and try to plot revenge against Madara?" Ume hissed. There were flames visibly leaping out of Ume's eyes. Sakura sweat-dropped.

"I was at the hospital!" Sakura said, trying to get free of Ume's death grip.

"Horrible excuse, Sakura. You should know by now where they always go, too. I thought you loved Sasuke!" hissed Ume, and she threw Sakura at the two run-aways. "Heal them," she demanded.

Ume grabbed Gaara, who was staring blankly at the scene, and turned out of the village, before she could even get ramen.

"Ume-chan! Come back!" yelled Naruto after them, but it was too late.

"Visit me sometime, Naruto. I'll be in Suna for a while. Let Tsunade know for me." That was all Ume said in response. People in Konoha knew she had a temper, but they'd never seen her _that_ mad before. They all were stunned.

Sasuke opened his eyes, and looked at Sakura. "What? What did she mean by, 'I thought you loved Sasuke?'" Sakura sweat-dropped, and Sasuke smirked and passed out again.

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"Are you ok, Ume?" asked Gaara as they jumped branch-to-branch in the Konoha forest.

Ume's eyes were bright with anger still. "Hai," was all she said.

Ume was thinking about how pointless revenge was. How she would never try for it. Revenge ruined lives daily, causing a domino effect. She wished she could end it. It was a source of pain, only caused by pride and man's obsession with equality. When she told Gaara this, he looked at her a little differently. Even though she had a horrible temper, she was wise for her years.

Ume didn't seem to notice that, though. She was determined to do something. What it was, Gaara could only guess, but he had a feeling it wasn't revenge. A couple years before, Ume, Naruto, and Sakura had mostly saved Sasuke from revenge, so she was dead against it. Well, it had to do with Suna, so he guessed he'd find out eventually.

They spent the 3 day trip in silence. Ume seemed to have endless food on her, so they ate fine, but it was still awkward. Ume still seemed to be troubled. When the two got back to Suna, Gaara told her to come with him to the Kazekage's mansion. Ume smiled politely and followed.

When Gaara arrived, there was initial fuss and chaos because of his absence for a week, counting the 6 days required for travel between Suna and Konoha. But, Gaara finally managed to get everyone out so he could talk to Ume in private, in his office.

"What are your plans in Suna?" he asked, looking directly at Ume for the first time since the first night she arrived in Suna.

"To avoid killing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura." She answered bluntly. She looked straight back at him.

"How long do you plan to stay," asked Gaara, "the counsel is nosey and curious, and I might as well save a lot of trouble and ask you now."

"As long as it takes for me to be able to keep them out of trouble." Her voice was strained. This said a lot about Ume, right in one sentence. Gaara told her she could go, since she had a hard time this past week. He also told her there was an apartment she could stay in, near the mansion. One of the guards showed her how to get there, then Ume disappeared into the night.

Gaara sat quietly in his office, looking out into the sunset in Suna. He was glad he didn't leave Ume and actually went with her to find Naruto. At least it got him out of the mansion for a week. Through the window, Gaara could see a head of long, dark hair jumping roof to roof, and stopping at a hill. Gaara smiled to himself as Ume looked up at the moon.

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Ume threw a rock at the moon, but gravity grabbed a hold of the rock, as always, and brought it back to Earth. The rock landed harmlessly on a patch of grass. Ume had no idea what she was going to do. She was tired of traveling, and she couldn't go back to Konoha, because she was still so mad. She'd said she was going to stay in Suna without thinking, though. _What was I thinking? _She thought constantly.

Ume looked towards the Kazekage's mansion. She wondered why in the world Gaara had asked _her _for help. Sakura should've said something. Ume put her head in her hands. _My life is such a mess, _she thought to herself. Crickets didn't chirp here; it was too dry and desolate in Suna. Ume missed the soft chirping of crickets while she was away from home, but she hadn't stayed long out of fury.

The moon was full, seeming to touch the tops of the buildings in the nearby village. She sighed, thinking of the events of the past week.

A voice startled her; it came from behind. "You know, you could go back to Konoha. I think at least Naruto would forgive you." It was Gaara.

"Why do you always seem to… appear? Why don't you leave me alone?"

Gaara looked at the large moon, too. His demon-like eyes were calm. Ume turned her head to look at him. Gaara took in a deep breath. "I don't know, actually. At first, it was because I needed your help to find Naruto… I was worried, and I knew you two knew each other. But now, I don't know. You looked like you needed someone to talk to, I guess."

Ume stared at him in surprise. Gaara never talks this much, not in the week she'd known him. After that, they just sat and watched the stars. At some point, Ume fell asleep on her back. It was late at night, so Gaara carried her, bridal-style, to the apartment that had been prepared for her. He left her on the bed.

When Ume woke that morning, she was at first confused, but then realized Gaara must have carried her there last night. She was embarrassed for a moment, but she was kind of pleased, too. She stepped outside, and felt that she didn't need to know what she was going to do. It was a new day.

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><p><strong>AN: OK, this may or may not be the end of this fan fic. This will most likely have a sequel, though.<strong>


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